In September our Ramble&Chat will take us to the woodland near Bellsquarry called Wilderness. This diverse Woodland Trust site has good habitats for various wildlife and plants.
We’re also still sharing free wildflower seed packets from our Plant a Pitstop project. Plant the seeds now for a beautiful native wildflower display next year!
When: Sunday 14th September, 2-3:30pm
Meeting point: the path on the East side of Bellsquarry Primary School, 52 Calder Road, Bellsquarry, EH54 9AD
How to get there: Wilderness is a few minutes walk from Bellsquarry Primary School EH54 9AD. There are bus stops on the A71 nearby. Check Traveline Scotland to plan your route.
Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear.
You are very welcome to turn up on the day. But if you’d like to register via Eventbrite, we’ll know to expect you.
In these 1-2 hour informal R&C walks, we take the opportunity to notice nature, to chat about things that draw our attention and to share knowledge. We also participate in Citizen Science projects, and share information about how you can get involved. Our previous walk reports will give you some idea of what we get up to.
We look forward to seeing you there!
PHOTOGRAPHY AVNA members will be taking photographs during the event. These may be shared on Social Media, with our funders, and in other written and online publications. If you do not wish to appear in any photos or videos, please email us at almondvalleynatureaction@gmail.com
We were a group of five this month for our Livingston Ramble&Chat outing in nature. We took a slow walk around the grassy meadows between the allotments and the River Almond to see what could be spotted living among the long grasses. These areas that are left uncut are a huge benefit to the insects living there, which in turn benefits the birds, bats and everything else that relies on insect life.
Soldier beetle
We took our sweep net along and swept the grasses to catch some of the bugs. Far and away the most common insect we found were the orange soldier beetles which seemed to be on top of every blade of grass and flower, particularly the common hogweed.
Under the trees we found a forest shield bug and two species of fly that none of us had seen before. One of the flies was a banded nettle fly (thank you for the ID iNaturalist! – upload a photo to the app to identify what you’ve found). To get a good look at the fly it was caught and held in a perspex box. As it ran around inside, its wings looked like they were spiralling due to the black pattern, so interesting to see! The other fly had long legs, a gold coloured thorax and strange fly feet 😄. This one was called Dexiosoma caninum, which the internet informs me is common in the south of England, looks like they are on the move north!
Forest bugDexiosoma caninumBanded nettle fly
Close up of those strange fly feet!
But it wasn’t all flies! This year seems to be a really good year for the butterflies, a huge relief after the terrible year they had last year. With our butterfly nets we caught a couple to take a closer look at them. Netting is done gently with a fine mesh net so that the butterflies are completely unharmed and they are then released to fly off and continue on their way.
Green veined whiteRingletGreen veined in the net
Ringlet butterflies are often found in wooded habitats, verges and damp grasslands with their caterpillars feeding on grasses. You can read more about them here. The green veined white looks similar to the small common white butterfly when flying. You can identify them by looking at the underside of its wings which are streaked with grey veins.
You can join the Big Butterfly Count and add records of your butterfly sightings which helps butterfly conservation and research. This project is run by the Butterfly Conservation Trust from the 18th of July to the 10th of August. Spend 15 minutes observing butterflies on a warm sunny day, in your garden or local park or green space, count them then add to the app to record. You can also make ad-hoc recordings any time using the iRecord Butterflies app any time you see a butterfly – available on google play or apple store.
We saw two different types of woundwort plants – hedge woundwort with the toothed leaves and magenta colour and the lavender coloured marsh woundwort. We also saw a few herb robert flowers and the small pink willowherbs that are just about everywhere!
And finally, not forgetting all the bumblebees which were out collecting nectar and pollen, this little common carder bumblebee was foraging on a raspberry flower and continued to feed while we had a closer look at it.
Common carder bumblebee
After a group photo we said our goodbyes until next months Ramble&Chat. We’ll be at Almondell country park on Sunday the 17th at 2pm along with the invertebrate charity Buglife looking at pollinators and carrying out some flower-insect timed counts. Book a free space here, more details in the poster below.
Join us on Sunday 17/08/2025 for a pollinators identification workshop at Almondell Country Park.
This month, we will join Buglife for an introduction into pollinator identification at Almondell Country Park, East Calder. The event is free to attend and everyone is welcome. Please book a free spot via try booking.com/UK/EXMZ
The event is part of West Lothian Council’s Biodiversity Month . West Lothian Climate Action Network is also organising a river Almond walk and talk from 11:30-13:30 on Sunday – more info here.
Meeting point: Almondell Country Park Disabled Car Park, EH52 5PE. This is next to the visitor centre, the closest car park is Broxburn East Entrance to the country park.
We will then take a short walk to the meadow close to Nasmyth Bridge for the workshop.
Almondell Country Park is on the National Cycling Route 75. For bus services, please check Traveline to plan your route.
Weather: Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear, and bring water, sunscreen if appropriate.
Photography: We will be taking photos at this event for our blog and social media sites. If you would prefer not to be included in any photos it’s not a problem, we’ll always ask permission before we publish.
Join us for a relaxed stroll through a little-known gem of an area in Livingston for July’s Ramble&Chat. We’ll be wandering around the beautiful meadows beside the Killandean allotments and the River Almond. The area sits within the Kirkton Campus Industrial Estate but goes largely unnoticed by most people driving passed on the main road. A short walk from the car park opposite the allotments will take us under the underpass and on to an easy trail. This walk is bordered by woodland and passes lots of grassy flower meadows and also has the river nearby – what’s not to love!
Large red damselfly
On this walk we’ll be identifying the summer flowers and pollinators, and trying some sweep netting to see what little creatures are living in the meadows.
We’ve previously seen lots of damselflies here, the little cousins of the dragonflies. Large reds, common blues and blue-tailed may be around if the weather is warm and calm. We’ll definitely try to find some of these amazing little insects!
The meadows and hedges are rich with foxgloves, common spotted orchids, little herb robert, and meadow buttercups among many other flowering plants.
Common spotted orchidFoxgloveHerb Robert
The walk is on level, gravel paths and is suitable for all abilities. There are a number of picnic tables and benches scattered along the way with plenty of opportunities to take rest breaks. The meadows have had a grass border cut around them giving lots of opportunities to wander off the path and around them.
When: Sunday 13th July, 2-3pm
Meeting point: We’ll meet at the Killandean allotment car park on Simpson Parkway where there is parking for several cars but please also consider car sharing, cycling, walking or public transport.
Please reserve a place on Eventbrite so we know to expect you. This event is free, everyone is welcome (under 18s to be accompanied by a guardian). We hope to see you there!
Weather: Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear, and bring water, sunscreen if appropriate.
Photography: We will be taking photos at this event for our blog and social media sites. If you would prefer not to be included in any photos its not a problem, we’ll always ask permission before we publish.
How to get there: The pond is just South of The Lanthorn in Kenilworth Rise, EH54 6NY. There are various bus stops within 10-15 mins walking distance. Check Traveline Scotland to plan your route.
Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear.
You are very welcome to turn up on the day. But if you’d like to register via Eventbrite, it’ll let us know to expect you.
In these 1-2 hour informal R&C walks, we take the opportunity to notice nature, to chat about things that draw our attention and to share knowledge. We also participate in Citizen Science projects, and share information about how you can get involved. Our previous walk reports will give you some idea of what we get up to.
We look forward to seeing you there!
PHOTOGRAPHY AVNA members will be taking photographs during the event. These may be shared on Social Media, with our funders, and in other written and online publications. If you do not wish to appear in any photos or videos, please email us at almondvalleynatureaction@gmail.com
Having recently moved house, I was unsure what the results of No Mow May would be! Both front and back lawns had a cut at the end of April, and some new grass seeds scattered to cover some empty patches.
On 1st June, I took photos of the plants that appeared in my lawn in the last 30 days. Not all of them are in flower yet, so this is a good reason to continue No Mow May with Let it Bloom June! 🌼
Clover White cloverGeranium VetchLesser trefoilCreeping buttercupsFiddleneckMouse ear chickweedGrasses floweringGrasses floweringGrasses floweringPossibly another geranium Unsure!
We had a very dry and hot May, and this definitely highlighted that the clover patches are much more resistant to droughts as they remain green and lush through the dry spell. I am hoping that they will slowly spread more to cover bigger areas. I have never seen a fiddleneck before, so I was surprised to find it in the lawn!
In the next few weeks, I will be “editing” the lawn – Moving some of the plants that are already here, to a new position, especially in the front lawn, to give them a chance to flower and form a flower bed in the middle of the front lawn . While the lawn will be cut a couple of times this summer, we will ensure that the blade is set high, that we check the grass for any small mammal and give any moths and other insects a chance to escape the lawnmower blade.
Have you taken part in No Mow May this year? Share your results, thoughts and photos by leaving a comment.
We had high hopes of getting a close up look at some butterflies on this ramble when we set off from the car park armed with two butterfly nets! It was a sunny afternoon and with several weeks of warm, dry and sunny weather behind us, there was a good chance of spotting lots of pollinators and other insect life. As we walked along the cycle path though it quickly became apparent that we seemed to be in middle of a siesta there were so few around!
The view from Seafield Law looking south towards the 5 sisters bings
We headed for the Law which is the highest point and wandered to the summit where there are amazing 360o views of the area. We saw a couple of common carder bumblebees which seem to be our most common bumblebee now. There was a butterfly near the summit which might have been a small tortoiseshell. Efforts to net it failed repeatedly as it easily flew by, leaving me swiping at thin air! It was not as easy as the cartoon figures leaping through meadows made it look when I was a child!
Andri holding the butterfly
Beautiful detail of the green veined white butterfly
As we wandered along the Law, Andri netted one of the white butterflies! This was a green-veined white. She carefully potted it so we could take a closer look. In flight these butterflies can look like small white butterflies or like the female orange-tip butterflies. To record them it’s important to know for sure what you are looking at. When they are roosting on a flower or sitting still in a pot you can clearly see the grey vein markings of the green-veined white that run through the upper and lower sides of the wings. We saw a male orange-tip butterfly (nice and easy to identify!) and a few more white butterflies, but those ones were not close enough to get an accurate identification for recording.
While we were retracing our steps to come down off the Law we were excited to see a kestral hovering in the air before it dived out of sight. Its always a treat to see a bird of prey!
We stopped for a cup of coffee and took a closer look at the plant life surrounding us. We saw forget-me-nots, purple clover, speedwell and buttercups out in flower, with some gorse and broom in their bright yellow flowers too. We were a little unsure of the plant in the first photo below. The internet suggests its a type of bedstraw, if you know what it is please let us know!
A species of bedstraw?Forget-me-notSpeedwell
Oedemera virescens
Many of the flowers were the meeting ground for lots of beetles. iNaturalist identifies these ones as Oedemera virescens. These beetles are pollinators too, distributing the pollen from flower to flower as they feed on the nectar and pollen.
Near the end of our walk we noticed another plant dotted about among the grass. This was ID’d as common silverweed. It was not yet in flower but has striking leaves none the less.
Silverweed
Why not join us next time for a relaxed wander taking in the nature around us. Every month there is something different to see, smell and hear. Everyone is welcome! The next Ramble&Chat will be on Sunday 8th of June, details will be posted on the blog and our social media. Hope to see you there!
Despite the mixed weather earlier in the morning, our group of 5 managed a lovely, dry walk in Livingston Village Park; the sun even shone for us as we stopped for a coffee by Livingston Village Community Garden .
This is a good time of the year to notice the changes in trees, and appreciate the beautiful blossom! 🌸 To aid our efforts, we used the woodland trust’s beautiful blossom spotter sheet, which is free to download and use, and the Field studies council Tree Name Trail guide.
And we were not disappointed, as we spotted various different trees and bushes in flower, a small selection of photos is available below.
Blackthorn bloomBlackthorn treeWild cherryA dark edged bee flyBlackthorn blossomServiceberry, a non native, cultivated speciesBird cherry flower, not quite blooming yet
Hawthorn and Rowan are amongst some widespread in our area trees that are blooming in May. Why not go for a walk and see what you can spot!
And a reminder that May Ramble and Chat is on Sunday 11 May 2025. We are excited to explore the pollinators and wildflowers of Seafield Law! Everyone is welcome 🙂
This months nature walk will be held on Sunday the 11th of May along the National Cycle Network paths around Seafield Law. We’ll take a slow ramble to notice the natural world in spring time. If the weather is fine and dry we should be able to see several species of butterflies and bumblebees, but whatever the weather on the day we will be able to look at wildflowers and plants in the area. We’ll also have a go at identifying the birds by their songs!
We’ll record all our findings using phone apps such as iNaturalist and BirdTrack. These create biological records that will help to build a picture of the biodiversity in the area. If you haven’t done any recording before we can help get you started!
Cowslip – spring wildflower
This walk is suitable for all abilities and will take place on the hardcore paths of the cycle route. The pathways have some gentle inclines at times which can be taken at a relaxed pace. No experience is necessary and everyone is welcome. Under 18s should be accompanied by an adult.
How to Get there: The event is held on National Cycle Route 75, please choose active travel if you can. The nearest bus stop is Seafield Arms, you can check Traveline Scotland to plan your route.
Weather: Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear, and bring water, sunscreen if appropriate.
Photography: Members of Almond Valley Nature Action will be taking photos and videos for use on our social media, website and other forms of publicity. If you prefer not to be included in any photos, please email us at almondvalleynatureaction@gmail.com
Not a member yet? Join Almond Valley Nature Action – complete our membership form here.
Join us on Sunday 13 April for a nature walk with a focus on learning to identify broadleaf trees. The event is suitable for beginners, and children are welcome when accompanied by a responsible adult.
This month, we will introduce participants to Nature’s Calendar and explain how you can combine your tree identification knowledge and observation skills to contribute to this Citizen Science project. It is the perfect time of the year to start noticing and recording budburst, first flowering and first leaves.
Meeting point: Tennis court car park, Charlesfield Lane, Livingston Village
Route: We will follow a circular route, and walk on established paths. This is a slow paced activity with plenty of opportunities for a break on available park benches. Weather permitting, we will stop by Livingston Village Community Garden to share a hot drink and Chat to the volunteers looking after the garden.
How to get here: The closest bus stops are Kilne Place and Quarrywood Court (around 20 minutes walk from meeting point), check out Lothian Country’s route 72 timetable. From St Johns Hospital and/or the Bus Terminal at the Centre, it’s a 25 minute walk. Check Traveline Scotland to plan your route.
Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing and footwear. We expect parts of the route to be muddy.
Have you heard about our Plant a Pitstop project? It is not too late to plant native wildflowers in your garden, come along and get a free packet to help pollinators.
PHOTOGRAPHY AVNA members will be taking photographs during the event. These may be shared on Social Media, with our funders, and in other written and online publications. If you do not wish to appear in any photos or videos, please email us at almondvalleynatureaction@gmail.com
Almond Valley Nature Action 